Border Stories: Sur-Place Dialogue Morocco/Spain

“Our own (legal) status and privileges became particularly apparent when crossing the border between Morocco and Spain, where a European appearance and a European passport are sufficient to be barely controlled, whereas this border means an almost insurmountable obstacle to the migrants – a fact that at times of the Schengen agreement tends to be forgotten within Europe or at least is taken for granted.”

This is an excerpt of a report about our first journey to a European external border in 2008: At the border between Spain and Morocco – travelling to Tangier, Ceuta and Southern Spain – we reconstructed the typical routes, attempting to comprehend the diverse problems that refugees face on their way to Europe and to understand the role of NGOs, the UNHCR and others: “Whereas for us, the border crossing meant just a passport control, it will remain a lifelong dream for many of the refugees.”

Based on the impressions of this first journey to Morocco/Spain, we decided to address the topic in a broader sense and engage with the seemingly far away situation at other external borders, connecting the needs and complexities from the periphery with central Europe. Subsequently, we travelled to Greece and the Turkish border in 2012 – look out for a post on this journey in the next few days!